If you are an employee who has been wrongly denied the required minimum wage and overtime pay, you may be able to recover the wages by reporting it as a violation. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay the federal minimum wage and overtime pay if an employee worked over 40 hours a week. An employer who fails to provide minimum wage and overtime pay to his employees is committing wage theft. The affected employee or a third party may file a complaint against the employer if wage theft is suspected.
The federal minimum wage was set at $7.25 per hour by the federal government in July 2009. Note that different states have their respective state minimum wage requirements that are higher than the federal minimum.
Employees covered by the FLSA must also receive overtime pay for extra hours. The FLSA states that employers have to pay at least one and one-half times regular pay for employees who work more than 40 hours a week. A complaint can be filed against employers who are violating this rule. The identity of the employee who files a complaint is kept confidential in order to avoid possible discrimination against that employee by the employer.
As an employee covered by the FSLA, you need to get familiar with your rights. If you or someone you know is not being paid the rightful minimum wage, hiring an attorney may be in your best interest. A skilled attorney might be able to help you recover the wages your employer owes you.
